Fodder soaker



' W. R. MYERS Dec. 14 1926.

FODDBR SOJAKER Filed July El, 1925 2' Shets-Sheet 1' few? INVENTOR M/sazz Myer'e QwFLW/W ATTORNEY connection-with and is an improvement over well knownmethod of cattle. feed prepa ration. In this method referred to an openj 1o ended receiving tube is used and is verti- ..p

Patented Dee/14, 1926. I

- ti-NETED is res j wrnsoiv n. MYnns or PORTLAND, onneon.

' FODDER "soAKEn- Application iiled-July 2'1, 1925j. s'e ia1 No. 45,126. r

The invention has for its object to pro vide a simple structure efficiently-operable for the purpose of thoroughly and uniformlysoaking cattle fodder as an incident to the preparationthereof as a high grade feed.

The invention isadaptable to be used in cally positioned, preferably with" its upper or receiving end extending up. through a hay mow floor, for facilitating the filling of fodder thereinto, and its lower dischargeend extending below to the feeding floor in cooperative relation with a feeding trough for dischargingits' contents thereinto gradually as needed. The fodder or roughage'is filled into the tube and is sprayed with water in which is a quantity. of a suitable converter designed torestore to the roughage itsmois- 'tureQLandCto' convert the starch therein to A heavyweight is then lowered sugar.

he mass in the tube and allowed to upon. exert its pressure in a period of twenty to thirty hours, the starches containedin the .masswill have been converted into maltose or sugar and a temperatureofabout 145 created therein, thus providing a very desirable feed approxi I I mately .85'percent predigested.

v but approximately fifty per cent as As the (ilgEStlYQ powers of animalsare efiicient as those of humans, a treatment of their food having thecharacter above described is most desirable. l

In'the system above outlined the weights.

used range between 1600 to 2000 pounds and the great difficulty with which they are handled and the expense of their production is one of the factors hindering a commercial use proportionate to the possibilities of-the system. Also, by hose moistening or spraying the dry fodder or roughagein the tube the liquid follows certain channels through the sameand does not effectively orjunifornr. he same...1t is also true that ly moisten great quantities of the liquid courses all'the H way through the tube. and into the feeding trough.

My invention serves as a complete remedy for the deficiencies referred to and by the use thereof the roughage or fodderis so thoroughly and uniformly moistened with converter liquid that when it is filled into the tube referred to it will so compact itself on the line 4 on Figure 3. I

thereon. In this manner,

as to entirely eliminate the need fora press-- er weight. Injthis manner also, allof the I roughage is uniformly soaked and the liquid does not freely v run down into the feeding With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear the inventionfurther 'residesin the novel .detailsof con; struction, combination and arrangement arts all of whichwill be first fully described in the following detailed description, then be particularlyi pointed outin. the appended claims, reference being had'tojthe accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view-illustrating the invention in use. i 1

Figure 2 is a detail longitudinal. section of theupper or discharge end of the conveyor.

, Figure 3 1s a view similar to Figure 2 of V v the lower or receiving end of. the conveyor. Figure 4 is a vertical-cross i Figure 5 is afdetail perspective view or the fodder director and guard plate. 4

Figure 6 is. a v view similar t'oFig'ure 3 and illustrates aslightmodification of the'inve'ne tion,

"In carrying out the principleshof my in vention I provide a preparer tube 1 which is 1n the nature of an open endedcylindrical section taken body vertically positioned and extending. I

downwardly through the floor 2-of a hay" mow to have its lower or discharge end?) in cooperative relation above the feeding floor below, where it is suitably supported in c0- operative relation with the animal feed trough 4.. The'tube 1. is in the nature'of a reservoir" for receivi g animal fodder I or roughage which has been moistened with a converter suitable for converting the starches contained in the said fodder to maltose or sugar by fermentation while contained in suchtube or reservoir and fed as needed,'by gravity action, into the feeding trough 4 through the discharge end;3 there- 1 The, methods of. thus preparing animal food are well lmown andit is common to fill tubes of the descriptionabove given. with fodder orv roughage, suitably moisten'the same, and to subject thesame to pressure exerted by a'weight inserted into thefupper end of the tube for compacting the mass and substantially excluding freeadmission of ail."

thereto, softhat the mass will fermentand by heat generation be warmed and predigested in a-great degree so as to prepare the 1 same for consumption by the animals to be sent. The handling of the weights isa very troublesome function and when the present known methods of moistening the fodder are utilized a uniform moistening thereof 1s practically impossible, as the water or other liquid directed into the upper end of the tubefollows certain channels through the fodder, leaving. some'portions of the same the use of any entirely dry and'moistening portions that it does contact inefiectually. In this manner it is'als'o common to have the water filter through the tube and into the feeding trough 1 in-great quantities, which is ob- 3 viously troublesome.

To the overcoming of the above mentioneddiiiiculties this invention is addressed and I have disclosed in this application a structure whereby the fodder or roughage may be moistened in an effectual and absolutely uniform mannerand so deposited into the preparer tube 1, in its uniformly moistened condition, as to render possible the desired preparation of the material for animal consumption withoutthe necessity of diums whatever, o

In carrying out the features mentioned generally above I provide, supported upon suitable framing standards 5, a conveyor 1 trough 6 having confining sides 7 and the bottom of which inclines upwardly at an angle of approximatelyt from the lower or entrant end thereof to the upper or discharge end thereof. The trough is provided with a metal liner 8 which is turned up at its lower or entrant end, as at 9, to provide a liquid receptacle and is turned downwardly at its upper end, and short of the ends of the side boards 7, as at 10, to provide a discharge throatway adapted to be positioned in the manner illustrated in Figures '1 and 2 of the drawings for readily discharging into the upper end of thepreparer tube 1. V

i The side boards are built up at the lower ends thereof, as at 11, and a cross board 12 provided across the ends thereof to forma relatively deep receiving end for the troughlike body for a purpose later to be described.

An'u'pper cross shaft 13 is provided and has suitable bearing, as. at 14, in the upper ends of the side boards 7 and a lower cross shaft 15 is also provided and has suitable bearing, as at 16, in the lower or entrant weights or compacting meend of the trough-like body, see Figures 2 and 3. The upper shaft 13 has securely mounted thereupon a pair of sprockets 18,

each thereof being positioned adjacent the respective side board 7 and the lower shaft 15 is also provided with a pair of similarly positioned sprockets 18, the latter, however, preferably being of a larger diameter than the sprockets 17; A pair of endless conveyor chains 19 talre over the sprockets 17 and 18 at the respective sides of the troughlike body and the said chains 19- are pro-' vided with cross slats 20 so that the pair. of chains and the slats slatted conveyor. 7

To provide for the proper driving of the slatted conveyor one end'of the upper shaft -13n1ay be extended, as at 21, and provided together provide a V whichincludes a curved portion 29 curved to conform concentrically to the lower end travel of the slatted conveyor and-havlng a flat table portion 30 for receiving the fodder I or roughage as it s filled'into the entrant end of the trough-like body.

The director 28 is mounted in the position mentioned by reason of being secured to the mounting side boards 31each of which is provided with an aperture through which the shaft 15 may pass, so that the said'body may be mounted directly upon the said shaft, and cut out portions or slotways32 are provided in the body laterally of the position of the side boards 31, and which are adapted to accommodate the positioning and movement of the sprockets'18-and the lower end of the slatted conveyor which takes thereover, and securing flanges 33 which may be secured to the sides 11 in the manner indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings. See alsoFigures 4 and 5.

It will be observed, by reference to Figure 3 of the drawings, that by reason of the manner of shaping the lower end of the liner 8 and the manner of positioning the sprooketed shaft 15 and the director body 28 cooperatively therewith, travel space is provided for the fodder or roughage which said space is of a width substantially equivalent to the width of the conveyor slats 20. I v V The receptacle formed by upwardly bending the lower end ofthe liner 8, as at 9, is adapted. to be filled with the liquid 0011- a restricted verter, indicated by the numeral 34;,and] the said liquid converter is admitted into the said receptacle through the connection 35 adjacent the bottom at'oneside thereof.

It will be obvious, by reference to Figure 3 of the drawings, that the roughage or' fodder thrown into the entrant end of the trough-like body and upon the flat table portion 30 of the'body 28 will be acted upon by the down travelling slats QO and carried down and around through the restricted passage under the liquid converter 34,-the said body 28 serving to cause all of said fodder to so travel andpermitting none thereof to pass into engagement with'the up travelling slats 20. without being caused to pass down and under ,the'saidliquid converter. It will be obvious, of course, that the fodder may be thrown'into the entrant end of the troughlike body in any approved mannerand it I will be found very effective to position'the discharging end of any suitable roughage cutting implement so that the same will discharge directly into the said entrant end. vIt is, of course, desired to maintain the level of the liquid converter in the receptacle at approximately that indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings, and to accomplish this purpose I connectthe inlet 35, through the piping connection 36, with any suitable control box 37 in which is provided any suitable float control for maintaining the level de sired, the liquid converter being supplied to a that control box through the conduit connection 38 from any source of supply, such as a tank or the like, (not shown).

The slatted conveyor is moved relatively slowly and the fodder directed downwardly through the restricted passageway through.

the liquid converter path will be carried up the metal lined incline to be discharged through the discharge trough 10' into the upper end of the preparer tube. In this manner, all of the fodder or roughage is effectively and uniformly soaked and as the conveyor slats convey the portions thereof up the said incline inithe manner indicated in Figure 3 of th drawings any surplus moisture over that necessary for the desired moistening will be allowed to trickle back down the said incline into the receptacle.

In Figure 6 of the drawings, I'have illustrated a slight modification of the invention.' When the fodder or roughage is being fedinto the entrant end of the trough like body in shovel or fork fulls the feeding will not be systematic and uniform but will be in intermittent bulks. To provide for the desired constant and smooth feeding of the material through the liquid converter path an auxiliary control conveyor 39 may} be provided in the nature of an endless slatted belt which takes around the rollers 40, the trunnions of which may have suit- I able bearing, as at 41, upon and in the side boards 11. One of the tr'unnions of the roll- V ers 40 may be extended and provided with a small sprocket and one end of the shaft 15 may be likewise extended and sprocket provided so that rotative motion from the last mentioned shaft may be imparted to the roller having j the sprocketed extension through the power transmission connection 42. l

7 From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is thought the novel details of construction, the, manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will "be readily "understood by those skilled in the art to which it relates. I

l/Vhat I claim is: i

1., In an apparatus for soaking fodderand Q delivering it to a reservoir of the character embodying a supporting trough sustained at an inclination to the horizontal andembodying an endless chain slatted conveyor mounted within the trough and adapted to drag the fodder through liquid'located in the lowermost portion of the trough up along thebottom of the trough to the delivery end, said conveyor including a shaft with spaced sprockets located at the receiving end;a director comprising a flat plate and a cylindrical portion with sides having apertures for said shaft and adapted to fit between the pair'of sprockets, said director including side wings, and means securing said side wings to the sides of the trough,

2. In an apparatus for soaking fodder and delivering it to a reservoir of the character embodying a" supporting trough sus tained at an inclination to the horizontal and embodying an endless chain slatted conveyor mounted'within the trough and adaptin the lowermost portion of the trough up along the bottom of the trough to the de-' for regulating-the loading of the fodder thereupon, said director-plate extending beneath the adjacent parts of said conveyors.

ed to drag the fodderthrough liquidlocated wI s'oN R. MYERS. 

